This month in Jazz! We’ve got a great lineup of Jazz programming this month that you don’t want to miss…
Up Next!
Jazz Orchestra of Philadelphia
Comin’ Home
Tue, Jan 7 | 7:30PM | Verizon Hall
Tickets
The JAZZ ORCHESTRA OF PHILADELPHIA (JOP) is rousing in the new year with its Grand Gala Fund Raising Concert. JOP is dedicated to honoring, presenting and continuing Philadelphia’s unparalleled jazz legacy through performance and education. Under the artistic direction of renowned trumpet player and Director of Jazz and Instrumental Studies at Temple University, Terell Stafford, JOP will celebrate Philadelphia’s jazz treasure trove with a multi-generational offering of music and musicians that best represent Philadelphia jazz. Joining the Orchestra of extraordinary Philadelphia musicians are: Wynton Marsalis, Jimmy Heath, Kenny Barron, Randy Brecker, Larry McKenna, Bootsie Barnes and Tony Williams. Emceeing this over-the-top musical bonanza is the Dean of Philadelphia jazz, Mr. Bill Cosby.
In the news:
The Intelligencer
The wait is over
(Posted: Jan 7, 2014)
Uwishunu
The Brand-New Jazz Orchestra Of Philadelphia Debuts In A Gala Concert With Appearances By Bill Cosby, Wynton Marsalis And More, Tuesday, January 7
(Posted: Jan 6, 2014)
Philadelphia Inquirer
New Philadelphia Jazz Orchestra to play the Kimmel
(Posted: Jan 5, 2014)
Huffington Post
Jazz Orchestra of Philadelphia’s All-Star debut
(Posted: Jan 3, 2014)
Daily News
Blow them horns! The Jazz Orchestra of Philadelphia has arrived
(Posted: Jan 3, 2014)
FREE
Sittin’ In: Dice Raw of the Legendary Roots Crew
Wed, Jan 8 | Doors @ 8pm
Commonwealth Plaza
Philadelphia rapper Dice Raw is steeped in hip-hop history. A longtime protégé of Philadelphia group the Roots, he made his debut in “The Lesson, Pt. 1.” Soon after, he made a name for himself with distinct cameos on “Adrenaline” and “Lockdown,” where his hard-hitting style worked perfectly alongside the heady rhymes of Roots leader Black Thought.
About JIMMY’S BACK, Dice Raw’s current solo-project:
With so much negative discussion about Black men and mass incarceration, there has not been room to talk about the positive aspect to this issue. However, DICE RAW, rapper/producer for the Grammy Award-winning Hip-Hop band, The Roots, was inspired to write, produce, and record and his new album entitled JIMMY’S BACK and hiphop musical The last jimmy from his reading of The New Jim Crow, the bestselling book by Dr. Michelle Alexander. With the album, largely featuring the talents of rappers who have been in the correctional system, DICE RAW is taking a stance to bring awareness to the tragedy of mass incarceration.
“I think it’s more of a fear of brothers—black men—doing crime [that] is the reason why they’re getting arrested or profiled. The fear is bigger than actual crimes that are being committed. Crime is on the decline, drugs are on the decline. These are things that we can actually measure. How many people are doing crime? Is crime up or is it going down? Crime is going down but arrests are going up. That’s the problem that is going on.” –Dice Raw (Quote originally posted Jan 2 on AllHipHop.com)
Also see: Sittin In with Dice Raw featured on Philly 360.
Kurt Rosenwinkel New Quartet
Thu, Jan 16 | 7:30pm | Perelman Theater
Tickets
There are artists who uphold what’s already been defined in music and then there are artists who do the defining. Guitarist, composer, and educator Kurt Rosenwinkel undisputedly sits among the trailblazers in the latter group. In 2012 Rosenwinkel released Star of Jupiter, his tenth album, debuting his new quartet which includes pianist Aaron Parks, drummer Kendrick Scott and Revis on bass. This fiery group made up of rising stars and veterans-in-the-making possess a unique ability to embody a modern and classic feel, swinging and grooving with equally dynamic ease and intensity. It is surely this complexity yet relatable sense that is Rosenwinkel’s prowess. His ability to connect with his audience is the benefitting result of his continuous desire and motivation to make clearer and stronger his natural connection to the universe. Catch this Philadelphia native, one-night-only, in Perelman Theater!
Kennedy Center Honors Herbie Hancock. Recently, Rosenwinkel performed with Aaron Parks, James Genus, and Terri Lyne Carrington at the Kennedy Center Opera House in Washington, DC. Check out the video here!